Adjustable binder attachment for sewing machines



Dec. 3, 1963 J. SIMONETTA 3,112,719

ADJUSTABLE BINDER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 18, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JOHN SIMON ETTA A TTOHNEY Dec, 3, 1963, J. slMoNETTA 3,112,719

ADJUSTABLE BINDER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 18, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JOHN SI MON ETTA BYgxn ATTORNEY Dec. 3, 1963 .1. SIMONETTA 3,112,719

ADJUSTABLE BINDER ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed June 18, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 F INVENTOR.

JOHN SIMONETTA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,112,719 ADJUSTABLE BlNDER ATTAQHIWENT FOR SEWING P/lACl-HNES John imonetta, 193 Bleacher St, New York, NE. Filed June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,067 2 Claims. (Cl. 112-137) This invention concerns an improved binder attachment for a sewing machine in which a strip of material is folded and fed in a direction at right angles to its original direction of feed to a sewing needle.

According to the present invention there is provided a binder attachment including a ridged and grooved struc ture for forming there folds in a flat strip of tape continuously fed to the attachment. A pair of adjustable positionable guides are provided for the attachment to adjust the position of the folded tape as it leaves the attachment and is fed to the sewing needle.

It is one object of the invention to provide a tape fold ing attachment as described including tape positioning adjustment means.

It is another object to provide a novel tape positioning slider for a tape folding attachment.

For further comprehension of the invention. and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an attachment embodying the invention, shown mounted on a sewing machine bed-plate, with an associated feed dog and presser foot.

FIG. 2 is a rear side view of the attachment per se.

FIG. 3 is a front side view of the attachment.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the attachment taken from the folded tape delivery end.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the attachment.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the attachment taken from the unfolded tape receiving end.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 77 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective View of parts of the attachment and including bed-plate, feed dog, presser foot, and mounting base plate.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another binder attachment, with associated feed dog, presser foot, and base plate.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the attachment of FIG. 10.

1G. 12 is a front view of the attachment of FIGS. 10 and 11.

FIG. 13 is an end view of the attachment of FIG. 12 taken from the folded tape delivery end.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken on line 14-44 of FIG. 13.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-9, there is shown the attachment 29 including a flat mounting plate 22 welded or soldered to a tapered rear wall 23 of the attachment. The rear wall is formed with a forwardly extending ridge 27. The ridge gradually extends forwardly of the rear wall and decreases in width from the wide receiving end R to the narrow delivery end D of the attachment; see FIG. 7. The ridge terminates in tapered fingers 25 at the delivery end D. A pair of longitudinal slots 26 are formed in the delivery end of the rear wall 23 immediately adjacent to the fingers 25.

A pair of narrow flanges 28 extend forwardly of oppo site edges of wall 23. At the wide receiving end of the attachment the flanges are joined by a front bridge piece 32 integral with the flanges and rear wall. The bridge piece 32, flanges 28 and rear Wall define a tapered, funnellike structure for receiving a flat piece of tape. Extending forwardly of the bridge piece 32 is a bar 34 having two notches 36 adapted to receive adjustment nuts 40 for threaded shanks 44 of two adjustment members St The shanks 44 extend through and are supported in holes 54 formed in a journal bar 55. The journal bar is attached to and extends forwardly from a tape folding and guiding wall 58. Wall 58 is an elongated metal strip extending from and integral with bridge piece 32, toward the delivery end of the attachement. Wall 58 is curved in cross section to define a central groove 68 which opposes the ridge 27. The radius curvature of the wall 58 in cross section decreases toward the delivery end of the attachment as does ridge 27. Wall 58 terminates just short of the fingers 25. Flanges 28 are turned inwardly toward each other to define two lips 59 just beyond bar 55, and are forwardly spaced from the free end of wall 58. Wall 58 has a longitudinal slot 61 between bar 34 and bar 55 providing manual access to the tape for initially pulling the tape through the attachment. On the inner side of bridge piece 32 are two spaced ridges 33 which are spaced from ridge 27 for initially folding the flat tape to generally W-shape. Wall 58 is bent at top and bottom at 63 adjacent to bar 34 to define two grooves for receiving the free edges of the tape as it is initially bent to W-shape.

Each adjustment member 59 has an elongated end plate 65 formed with a laterally extending narrow, flat wall 66 and narrow lip or flange 67 extending perpendicularly to wall 66. A short groove G (FIG. 8) is thus defined between flange 67, wall 66 and part of plate 65. At end 69 member 56 is rounded. The plate 65 has a thickened portion 79 opposite wall 66 to which the end of shank 44 is soldered.

Mounting plate 22 is soldered to an upstanding flange 72 located at the forward edge of a flat base plate 74. This plate has a pressed out ridge 75 adapted to fit slidably in a grove 76 formed in bed-plate Si Slots 82 in the bed-plate receive the teeth 83 of fabric feed dogs 81. The bed-plate has a needle receiving hole 85 aligned with hole 89 in presser foot 86. Presser foot 86 is supported in the machine to align with the feed dog and to hold down the folded tape being sewn by needle 87; see FIGS. 1 and 9.

Base plate 74 has an elongated hole 88 through which passes the threaded shank of screw 99. The screw bears on a washer 91 under which is the apertured end of a handie 92. Handle 92 has a lug 93 which engages in a notch 94 formed in the forward edge of hole 88; see FIG. 9. When handle 92 is moved angularly, the base plate will slide toward or away from the presser foot carrying the attachment 2% with it. The handle 92 provides a means for retracting the attachment out of the way of the presser foot when not in use or for positioning the attachment adjacent to the presser foot for operation.

The adjustment members 54) are mounted adjustably on the attachment 20. By turning nuts 41 the adjustment members slide toward and away from the presser foot foot 86. The lips 67 of the adjustment members fit into and are guided for longitudinal movement in the slots 26 at the delivery end of the attachment and abut lingers 25'. The lips 67 oppose the delivery ends of flanges 28, 3t} defining grooves G therewith in which are guided the inwardly turned folds F, F formed in tape T; see FIGS. 2 and 8. Nuts .0 can be turned to advance or retract the adjustment members 50 and thus determine the precise position at which the folded tape leaves the attachment for engagement by the presser foot and sewing by the needle. The folded tape is turned manually by the operator of the sewing machine to feed the tape between the presser foot and feed dog. If the adjustment members are set closer to the presser foot, then the needle will stitch closer to fold F. If the adjustment members are retracted, the needle will stitch closer to overlapping folds F, F. The tape T is fed unfolded into the attachment at the receiving end R and is folded between the ridges to a wide W-shape which is gradually narrowed until the tape leaves the delivery end of the attachment in narrow triply folded form with inturned abutted edges E as shown in PEG. 2.

The attachment 20 is mounted on bed-plate 89 with plate 22. perpendicular thereto. The bed-plate has an elongated hole 9 therein in which the plate 65 of lower adjustment member 54 is movably disposed.

In FIGS. 1014 is shown a tape folding attachment 1% including a tapered wall 162 formed with a longitudinal central ridge 104. The wall can be secured to the bed-plate 106 of a sewing machine by an L-shaped bracket 1% having an aperture 119 for receiving a screw 11%. The bed-plate and attachment are shown with associated feed dog 112 and presser foot 114 in FIG. 10.

The wall 162 has a wide outwardly bent end 116 at the tape receiving end. The attachment includes a tapered tape folding wall 118 integral with wall 102, and spaced slightly therefrom to provide a space for receiving the tape. The wall 118 is rather flat and formed with a tape feeding slot 120. At the narrow delivery end of wall 118 and bent at an angle toward the delivery end of wall 1 .32 is a lip 119. Wall 182 terminates beyond the lip 119 at the narrow end of wall 113 in a central rounded ridge 129. Two hooks or teeth E22 extend from the free narrow end of wall Hi2 toward and coplanar with lip 11?. Wall 118 terminates just within lip 119 in two opposing ridges 1-21.

The attachment 1% is wide at its receiving end R and narrow at its delivery end D. The tape is initially folded to a wide W-shape in the attachment and gradually is narrowed while the folds are made sharper. As the folded tape leaves the attachment the teeth 122 hold the folds as the tape is fed to the presser foot 114.

It will be noted, as best shown in FIG. 14, that a space S is provided between the hooks 522i and lip 119. The folded tape leaves the attachment through this space and is wholly visible to the operator at that point. This is very advantageous and is not provided in prior binding attachments of this type. A further advantage of the attachment 1% is that it is made in one piece with all parts rigidly welded or soldered together. It is light in weight, easy to install and remove, and easy to use.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent l. A tape folding attachment for a sewing machine,

3. comprising a rear wall, flanges extending forwardly of the edges of said wall, a forwardly extending ridge on said rear wall, a bridge joining the rear ends of the flanges, ridges on said bridge opposed to the ridge on the rear wall, said opposed ridges defining spaces for folding the tape therein, a pair of spaced bars secured to said bridge and extending outwardly thereof, adjustment members having threaded shanks carried rotatably by one of said bars, threaded nuts carried by the other one of said bars and engaged with said shanks for adjustably advancing and retracting the shanks axially, plates secured to ends of the shanks, said plates having inwardly turned lips at edges thereof, the rear wall having a pair of longitudinal slots receiving said lips of the adjustment members, said lips and rear wall flanges defining passages said plates having rounded ends adjustably positioning folds of a tape leaving said passages, a mounting plate secured to said rear wall, and a base plate having an elongated hole for receiving a mounting screw, said base plate having an upstanding flange secured to said mounting plate for supporting the attachment on a bed-plate of a sewing machine.

2. A tape folding attachment for a sewing machine, comprising a rear wall, flanges extending forwardly of the edges of said wall, a forwardly extending ridge on said rear wall, a bridge joining the rear ends of the flanges, ridges on said bridge opposed to the ridge on the rear wall, said opposed ridges defining spaces for folding the tape therein, a pair of spaced bars secured to said bridge and extending outwardly thereof, adjustment members having threaded shanks carried rotatably by one of said bars, threaded nuts carried by the other one of said bars and engaged with said shanks for adjustably advancing and retracting the shanks axially, plates secured to ends of the shanks, each plate having a narrow wall extending laterally thereof at one edge, said narrow wall having a depending lip substantially parallel to said plate, said plate having a curved end integral with said narrow wall, the rear wall having a pair of longitudinal slots at its narrow end receiving the lips of the adjustment members, the ridge on said rear wall terminating in spaced fingers, said lips defining narrow passages with said flanges and fingers at the narrow end of said rear wall for passing folds of the tape therethrough, a mounting plate secured to said rear wall, and a base plate having an elongated hole for receiving a mounting screw, said base plate having an upstanding flange secured to said mounting plate for supporting the attachment on a bed-plate of a sewing machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED ST TES PATENTS 2,026,484 Sailer Dec. 31, 1935 3,064,601 Dargols Nov. 20, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 682,051 Germany Oct. 6, 1939 

1. A TAPE FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR A SEWING MACHINE, COMPRISING A REAR WALL, FLANGES EXTENDING FORWARDLY OF THE EDGES OF SAID WALL, A FORWARDLY EXTENDING RIDGE ON SAID REAR WALL, A BRIDGE JOINING THE REAR ENDS OF THE FLANGES, RIDGES ON SAID BRIDGE OPPOSED TO THE RIDGE ON THE REAR WALL, SAID OPPOSED RIDGES DEFINING SPACES FOR FOLDING THE TAPE THEREIN, A PAIR OF SPACED BARS SECURED TO SAID BRIDGE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREOF, ADJUSTMENT MEMBERS HAVING THREADED SHANKS CARRIED ROTATABLY BY ONE OF SAID BARS, THREADED NUTS CARRIED BY THE OTHER ONE OF SAID BARS AND ENGAGED WITH SAID SHANKS FOR ADJUSTABLY ADVANCING AND RETRACTING THE SHANKS AXIALLY, PLATES SECURED TO ENDS OF THE SHANKS, SAID PLATES HAVING INWARDLY TURNED LIPS AT EDGES THEREOF, THE REAR WALL HAVING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL SLOTS RECEIVING SAID LIPS OF THE ADJUSTMENT MEMBERS, SAID LIPS AND REAR WALL FLANGES DEFINING PASSAGES SAID PLATES HAVING ROUNDED ENDS ADJUSTABLY POSITIONING FOLDS OF A TAPE LEAVING SAID PASSAGES, A MOUNTING PLATE SECURED TO SAID REAR WALL, AND A BASE PLATE HAVING AN ELONGATED HOLE FOR RECEIVING A MOUNTING SCREW, SAID BASE PLATE HAVING AN UPSTANDING FLANGE SECURED TO SAID MOUNTING PLATE FOR SUPPORTING THE ATTACHMENT ON A BED-PLATE OF A SEWING MACHINE. 